


Last Minute Christmas Shopping

by Norberts_Mom



Category: Hunger Games Series - All Media Types, Hunger Games Trilogy - Suzanne Collins, The Hunger Games (Movies)
Genre: Best Friends, Christmas Shopping, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Modern AU, everlark, winter in panem
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-19
Updated: 2020-12-19
Packaged: 2021-03-11 05:26:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,522
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28179813
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Norberts_Mom/pseuds/Norberts_Mom
Summary: Best friends Katniss and Peeta brave the stores on Christmas Eve to find an elusive gift.
Relationships: Katniss Everdeen & Peeta Mellark, Katniss Everdeen/Peeta Mellark
Comments: 10
Kudos: 49





	Last Minute Christmas Shopping

The sound of the car horn outside lets me know my best friend Peeta has arrived, so I bundle myself up in my winter coat and pull my knit hat over my head before running out into the snowy afternoon. I have to use the step that Peeta had installed under the door to get my short self into his old pickup truck. I plop down into the passenger seat and buckle myself in before turning to greet Peeta, who’s just sitting there with a smile on his face, holding out a steaming cup that I know is filled with hot chocolate, and a bag from his parent’s bakery. After a quick “Thanks”, I take the proffered gifts.

Peeta nods as he puts the truck into gear. With his eyes fixed on the road, Peeta explains, “I figured you might need a little something to help calm your nerves. You sounded frantic on the phone.” 

“Don’t remind me,” I mumble before taking a sip of Peeta’s special recipe hot chocolate. I can’t contain the moan that escapes me. It’s so good. I peer down into the bag and find a beautifully iced sugar cookie in the shape of a snowflake. There’s so much detail to the icing, that it must have taken him ages to decorate it. It seems a shame to eat such a piece of art, but I know by now that Peeta would just tell me that’s what he made it for. I smile as I break off a piece and pop it into my mouth. The cookie melts on my tongue, a perfect complement to the hot chocolate. I can’t help but hum my appreciation for the treat. I look over and see Peeta’s eyes flit away, back to the road.

He clears his throat and asks, “OK, so what’s the emergency that has me taking you out last minute Christmas shopping on Christmas Eve?”

I huff and take another sip of hot chocolate before explaining, “Prim’s gift didn’t arrive.”

“What?” Peeta’s voice is incredulous. “Didn’t you order that back in November?”

“I did. I was getting weekly email updates telling me a new delivery date with a promise that it would arrive in time for Christmas, but when it didn’t show up today, I checked the website and I found out it’s on back order until the middle of January.”

“Great, so you got something else in mind for Prim’s gift?”

“Nope. I’m determined to get Prim the official plush cat doll from that book and movie series that she loves so much. She named that mangy kitten she took in after him. I figured the toy store was the obvious place to start.”

“I don’t know,” Peeta ponders. “Isn’t that official merchandise of the movie exhibit? I don’t think it’s available in stores?”

“It is,” I explain. “But if they have it anywhere else, it’s going to be the toy store.”

We finally arrive at the toy store and the parking lot is bustling. Peeta pulls up to the door.

“What are you doing?” I bristle at his chivalrous behavior. “I’m perfectly capable of walking across the parking lot, you know.”

Peeta chuckles and takes my hot chocolate from my hand and places it in the cup holder. He reaches over and undoes my seatbelt and says, “I know you are, but these people are distracted last minute shoppers who may not see you walking through the parking lot as they drive by.”

I narrow my eyes at him. “Is that a dig about my height, Mellark?”

“Never,” Peeta says with a chuckle. He knows I’m self-conscious about my stature. “Just stating the facts,” he continues. “Now get and wait for me by the door. I don’t want to you getting lost in the crowd. I’ll be back in a minute.”

I nod and climb out of the truck and watch as Peeta pulls away to go find a parking spot.

I can’t help but be amazed at how considerate Peeta is – picking me up to go last minute shopping without hesitation, bringing me a snack to calm me down, and dropping me at the door to keep me safe. I shouldn’t be surprised though, Peeta has been that way ever since we met five years ago on my first day at a new school.

I was twelve years old when I switched from Seam Middle School to Merchant Middle School. Some kids were curious, but kept their distance. Others weren’t so friendly, and gave me dirty looks, but Peeta walked up all smiles and introduced himself. I couldn’t help but smile back. I think it was the first time I smiled in a long time. We sat together at lunch and Peeta told me about his family and how he enjoyed working at his father’s bakery. I told him about my sister Prim and my mom and how we had to move in with my grandparents after my dad passed away. Peeta was kind but didn’t ask too many questions, which I appreciated. He introduced me to his friends Delly and Madge and even brought me a welcome cupcake the next day. We’ve been best friends ever since.

As I wait for Peeta to join me at the entrance to the toy store, I watch as a man, probably in his thirties, playfully leaves a kiss on the cheek of the woman he just exited the store with. He grabs the bags she’d been carrying and takes them along with the bundle he was already carrying and rushes out to his car. He’s not parked too far away, so I can see him load up the trunk before dusting off the snow. As he’s driving up, the woman looks over at me and asks, “You waiting on your guy too?” I nod and smile, unsure why my face grows warm at the thought of her thinking Peeta is my guy. 

After the woman is secure in the car, they drive off just as Peeta comes jogging up through the parking lot. Snow has accumulated in the soft curls on top of his head and sparkle under the lights in the parking lot. He looks like an angle and I can’t help but smile at the sight.

This brings a smile to his own face as he says, “What’s got you smiling all of a sudden?”

“Nothing,” I say as I shake my head and turn to go into the store, hiding my embarrassment at being caught. “Let’s just find that damn cat, so we can get back home.”

Peeta’s smile never fades as he falls into step beside me. We make our way through the entrance and I gasp at the number of last minute shoppers inside. We begin to weave our way through the crowd, but I start to fall behind. People tend not to see a five-foot-nothing girl trying to get through. Peeta, with his broad shoulders, doesn’t seem to have any problem, so he reaches for my hand to drag me along. “Come on, woman,” he says with a smirk. “Let’s get that doll.”

His hand is warmer than I had expected after having been outside in the snowy parking lot, but I feel goose bumps rise along my arm at the contact anyway. What has gotten into me with these new reactions to my best friend?

At the end of the first aisle the signs direct us to the plush toy section, just three rows up, so we squeeze by the crowd of wandering shoppers who don’t seem to notice that their time is quickly dwindling away.

The aisle is surprisingly empty of shoppers, so we each take a side to look for the plush cat that I’m determined to get for my 13 year old sister. I find an orange tabby cat doll, but it’s not the official toy, so it won’t do. We’re about to give up when a young woman with a Santa hat on top of her dark brown hair approaches and asks if we need any help.

I explain that we are looking for the official plush cat doll for my sister and I can see the smile slip from the sales girl’s face. Annie, as her name tag reads, tells us that that toy is only available at the official exhibition store or online.

I don’t bother telling her that my order has been on back order since the end of November. Her sea-green eyes sparkle as she holds up a finger and asks us to wait a moment. She rushes away, into the employee entrance at the end of the aisle. She pulls a mobile phone from her pocket before she disappears behind the door.

I start pacing once she’s gone and grumble about how I should have had a back-up gift just in case the order never came through. Peeta walks up behind me and begins to knead my shoulders. His strong hands feel like heaven and I melt at his touch. I struggle to hold back a moan.

Peeta’s breath on my neck sends shivers down my spine as he whispers, “Maybe we should just buy the orange tabby doll as a stand in until the official doll arrives. I’m sure Prim would understand.”

My eyes flutter shut at the sensations that Peeta is making me feel. I’m about to give in and just buy that damn orange tabby doll as Peeta had suggested, when he drops his hands away from my shoulders. I open my eyes to find that the sales girl, Annie is walking toward us with a bright smile on her face.

“Sorry about that. We’re not allowed to use our phones on the sales floor, but I have great news,” she exclaims. “Well, news anyway,” she modifies. “My friend Finnick works at the mall and he told me that the kiosk that sells official movie merchandise had the doll you’re looking for earlier in the week. They buy official merchandise online and resell it at a markup. If you don’t mind paying a higher price, maybe you’ll find what you need.”

I says a quick, “Thanks” to Annie as Peeta & I rush hand in hand back out to the front of the store. He tries to talk me into staying at the entrance so he can pick me up, but I insist on accompanying him to the truck to save time.

“Well, then you have to hold my hand so you don’t fall or get run over,” Peeta demands, but he can’t hold back the smile on his face. I grin and nod as I squeeze his hand in reply. We walk as quickly out to his truck as we can with the snow and ice on the ground.

When we get back to the truck, Peeta opens my door before I get a chance to and grabs me by the waist to hoist me up. I’m startled by the heat of his touch, even through the layers of my coat and sweater, but I miss the feeling of his hands on me immediately. I can’t think about what that means right now. We need to get over to the mall and find that kiosk with the gift for Prim.

We make it to the mall in just a few minutes, since it’s really just across the main street from the toy store. Peeta doesn’t bother dropping me at the entrance this time, he just takes the first parking spot he can find, and grabs my hand as soon as we are out of the truck so we can help each other across the slushy parking lot.

We make our way inside the mall and I don’t bother dropping Peeta’s hand when I see the horde of shoppers inside. The crowd is much bigger than one would expect when there’s only about an hour left before closing time.

Peeta pulls me through the crowd to the middle of the mall where the temporary kiosks are grouped. We wander among them for a few minutes, enduring the persistent pitches of more than one eager salesperson looking for a last minute sale before we spot the kiosk we’re looking for.

We rush over and walk around the display looking for the elusive doll as the salesperson helps another customer with a purchase. After we circle the kiosk twice, my heart sinks. They don’t have it.

The sales clerk finishes up with the other customer and turns his attention to us. “How may I help you?” he asks. His bleach whitened teeth sparkle under the florescent lights and his hair is so black that it almost matches his dark blue suit, which appears to sparkle with a million tiny blinking lights.

“We’re looking for the official plush cat doll from that movie exhibition. We were told you might have it,” I plead.

“I’m sorry, my dear,” he laments. “I sold out of those yesterday afternoon. You should have come in sooner.”

No, I cringe as I think to myself. I should have received the one that I purchased almost a month ago in the mail by now.

“Is there anything else I can interest you in?” he continues. “I have the official exhibition book, glasses, mugs, necklaces, you name it. That movie franchise was very popular.”

“No thanks,” I say. “My sister only wants the cat doll. You wouldn’t happen to know another place that would have one do you?”

He looks at me as if I had asked him to give me all of his money. “I’m sorry, my dear,” he defends. “Even if I did know of another store that sold the exhibition merchandise, I wouldn’t feel right sending you to one of my competitors.”

I’m ready to scream at the man. It’s not as if I was going to buy anything else from his stall. What’s the harm in steering us toward what we came here for?

Peeta chimes before I can release a tirade, “Please, Caesar,” Peeta begs as he reads the salesperson’ name off of his tag. “We need this gift for her sick sister. It’s all she asked for this Christmas.”

I look down to hide my smile at Peeta’s tale. There’s nothing wrong with Prim’s health and she asked for a lot more than one plush doll, but Caesar doesn’t need to know that. He studies Peeta’s expression as if trying to detect a lie, but Peeta’s cherubic face comes in handy at times like these.

Caesar looks around before gesturing us to come closer, as if he’s about to grant us with the knowledge of some great secret. In a low voice he says, “Don’t tell anyone I told you, but there’s a section in the big box store at the other end of the mall that has official merchandise like I do.” He holds his forefinger to his lips and nods his head as he winks at me. He quickly turns away to help another customer as if he didn’t say a thing, and Peeta and I look at each other and share a laugh at his dramatics.

We weave our way through the other mall patrons trying to reach our target. When we are about halfway there, the PA announcer comes over the intercom, “Attention holiday shoppers, tomorrow is going to be a big, big, big day, but the time now is 5:45 pm and your Panem Acres Mall will be closing in 15 minutes.”

The sound of many shoppers groaning in unison, me among them, drowns out the remainder of the announcement.

We make it into the store as they are pushing the last of the dividers into place so that there’s only one section open for shoppers to pass through. Once inside, we are immediately assaulted by the odors of the multiple fragrances being sold there. I hold my breath as we pass through. I much prefer more natural odors - fresh air in the woods after it rains, honeysuckle blossoms, cinnamon, and fresh baked bread.

We make our way to the escalator to find the store directory. It’s pretty obvious the main floor is mostly clothes and the directory shows us that toys and merchandise are on the upper floor. We hop on the escalator and I want to take two steps at a time, but the other shoppers prevent us from reaching our destination any faster than the stairs move.

When we reach the top, Peeta instantly starts pulling me in search of the toy section, making me chuckle at his excitement. He seems to be having fun on this adventure, and I have to admit that I am too, even though I’m nervous that we won’t find the coveted toy.

There don’t seem to be as many customers on this floor as there were on the main floor, but Peeta doesn’t drop my hand. I don’t think he has to worry about me getting lost in the crowd any more, but he must have forgotten that’s why he insisted on holding my hand in the first place. We’re too busy with our mission for me to bother to remind him.

It takes a few minutes to find the toys and merchandise section, but we eventually find it hidden behind the housewares. Peeta and I begin looking for the plush toy right away. When we don’t immediately find the toy, I start moving the other merchandise around, hoping there’s one hidden somewhere behind the other stuff. I even stoop down and look under a table cloth, but all I see are dust bunnies congregating in the middle.

I find a price label on a shelf for the plush cat dolls, so I know they at least had them. There’s one final table, and in a last ditch effort, Peeta raises the table cloth and looks underneath as I did the previous one. Peeta stares under the table and my heart begins to sink. Surely if they had any dolls hidden below, he would have pulled one out right away.

When he looks up, Peeta has a frown on his face, but he asks me to have a look anyway. I bend down, curious as to why he would have me look if there are no dolls under there. As I peer underneath I have to do a double take. There among the dust bunnies is what must be the very last plush cat doll in the entire mall. As I pull it out, I find that it’s a little dirty and it appears that a part of its ear is missing, but that just makes it that much more authentic. That’s how the cat is described in the book.

As we straighten up, I throw my arms around Peeta’s shoulder and pull him into me for a hug. “I can’t believe we found it!” I cheer. I’m so relieved; I’m on the verge of tears.

Peeta pulls back from our hug, but doesn’t release his arms from around my waist. “I never lost hope,” he whispers.

This makes me chuckle, but my breath is taken away by the look in Peeta’s eyes. He’s looking at me like I’m his Christmas present that he’s been waiting for all year. I can’t look away. I never realized before that I’ve wanted Peeta to look at me like that.

We both start to lean in, inching closer together, but we are startled apart by the sound of a voice coming from behind us.

“Hey you kids, you can’t make out up here,” the middle aged security guard says as he approaches. “If you’re going to buy something, follow me to the registers, otherwise you need to leave the store.”

I blush and can’t seem to find the words through my embarrassment, so I hold up the doll to show him what I intend to buy. He nods his head. “Follow me,” he says before turning around. He mutters under his breath about crazy kids as we follow him to the register in housewares.

Peeta is unusually quiet as I make my purchase. I steal a glance at him. His shoulders are slumped and his hands are buried in his jeans’ pockets.

When the sale is complete and I have my bag in hand, I turn to go toward the escalator. My hand feels empty now that Peeta doesn’t seem to feel the need to keep me close. We go down the escalator, neither of us talking. At the bottom we are directed toward the back entrance, away from the mall. We’ll have to go outside and walk around the outside back to the truck since the mall is now closed.

Peeta holds the door open for me but doesn’t say anything. I pull my zipper up higher under my chin to keep the cold out, but it does nothing to stop the chill that I feel forming between Peeta and me.

We walk side by side around the mall. Most of the other vehicles have already left the parking lot. The only sound is our boots crunching through the snow.

I feel an ache in my chest that I haven’t felt since my father died. I feel as though I lost something precious. Finding the doll for Prim doesn’t seem to matter anymore. Did I make a mistake hugging Peeta? He seemed to be just as happy as I was before that security guard interrupted us. The happiness that I thought I saw reflected in his face when I was in his arms must have been my imagination. I don’t want to lose his friendship because of my overreaction.

I halt my steps and Peeta walks a few feet before he notices that I’m not beside him. He turns around to find me and I see the anguish on his face. He must be struggling to figure out what to say to let me down easy. I can’t let my overreaction come between us so I apologize.

“I’m sorry Peeta.” I close the distance between us and look up into those blue eyes before continuing, “I didn’t mean anything by the hug I gave you. I was just so happy to finally find the gift for Prim. Please don’t stop being my friend because I made you think I want something more.”

He looks into my eyes as if he’s searching for something, but he doesn’t say anything for a moment. Then he looks down at his feet and takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly before mumbling, “What if I want something more?”

I can’t believe my ears. “What did you say?”

Peeta looks up and there’s an intensity in his eyes that I don’t think I’ve ever seen before. “I said, what if I wanted us to be something more?”

I’m speechless. My mouth opens and closes a few times while I try to come to terms with what Peeta just told me. Could he be serious? People always seem to think we are more than just friends, but I never really though much of it before tonight.

“Really?” I ask. I can’t seem to think of anything else to say.

Peeta pulls his hands out of his pockets and cups my cheeks. The warmth from his hand seems to calm my nerves and I can’t look away from the intensity in his eyes. “Really,” he whispers before bending down and brushing his lips against mine. His lips are so soft, but they move against mine with such a passion that I can’t help but want more.

After a few minutes, he pulls back and leans his forehead against mine. “Okay,” I say with a smile as we both try to catch our breaths. Peeta’s smile is bigger than I have ever seen it and I grab the collar of his jacket to pull him back for more, but a car horn and flashing lights interrupt us.

We both look up and find the same security guard from before behind the wheel of the security vehicle. He rolls down his window and yells, “Don’t you kids have somewhere else to be? Some of us want to be home with our families for Christmas Eve.”

Peeta and I laugh. “We’re leaving,” we say in unison before we turn to run hand in hand toward Peeta’s truck. Our feet slip a few times, but neither of us seems to care.

Peeta’s truck is the only vehicle left in the parking lot and the security guard pulls up behind us and waits for us to pull away. It’s as if he doesn’t trust us to leave right away.

As we drive back to my house, Peeta keeps looking over at me, the smile never leaving his face. My cheeks hurt from all the smiling that I seem to be doing, too. He parks on the street in front of my house, and turns off the ignition.

I release my seatbelt and turn to face Peeta. I’m suddenly shy, not sure what to do, but Peeta reaches over and takes my hand.

“So we’re really going to do this?” Peeta asks. I can see the doubt start to enter Peeta’s eyes. I can’t let him think I don’t want this too.

I reach over and undo his seat belt before throwing my leg over his, so that I’m sitting on his lap. “We’re really going to do this,” I state, before burying my hand in the hair at the nape of his neck and pull him down for another kiss.

The kiss is warm and curious, making me never want to stop. I suck on Peeta’s bottom lip and he groans in response before tilting his head and deepening the kiss. We continue kissing until my lungs feel starved for air. I feel a little dizzy as I notice that the windows are steamed up. I can’t help but wonder how long we’ve actually been kissing. I rest my head on Peeta’s should as I catch my breath. I drag my finger across the driver’s side window, drawing a heart through the condensation. I look up to meet Peeta’s gaze and he smiles. His hair is a mess and his lips are plump and I think I can get used to that look on him.

He tuck a loose piece of hair behind my ear and sighs deeply before saying, “You probably should get going.”

“I know,” I reply. “Prim’s probably wondering where I am.” As I climb off of his lap and reach for Prim’s gift I remember that Peeta and I haven’t exchanged gifts yet. “What time do you want to get together tomorrow to exchange our gifts?”

“I already got my gift,” Peeta says with a smirk.

I furrow my eyebrows as I look back at him, wondering what he means.

“You, silly,” he says as he tugs on my braid.

I punch him in the arm and call him a goofball, but I can’t help but smile. “I’ll text you tomorrow,” I say as I get out of the truck. As I walk up the driveway I can’t help but think, I got my present tonight too.

**Author's Note:**

> The fic was inspired by the prompt “Height difference: You’re afraid that you’ll lose me in big crowds so you always hold my hand but now you just hold my hand when there’s only, like, five people around and I’m getting very suspicious.” This was originally posted in 2015 on Winter in Panem on Tumblr. I just never cross posted it to here until now.


End file.
